LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Can anyone give me tips on how to play Green Dolphin Street
blackyoshi -- 03/05/2005, 17:02:57 -- #11712
Hey I just joined a jazz band at my school and one song that we've decided to perform is Green Dolphin Street. I'm having trouble improving on the changes cause they change pretty quickly and was just wondering if maybe you guys could tell me some scales that would work nicely on the changes of the song. Another question I have is that in almost all recordings I've listened to of the song, right before the beginning latin part (part A) goes into the swing part (part B and C) the pianist always plays like leading tones or like some sort of fancy chord progression that isnt written. I was wondering if you guys could help me figure out what it is. Thanks.

7 -- 03/07/2005, 01:10:15 -- #11721
As far as the "fancy chord progression that isnt written" is concerned, I'm not really sure what other pianists might be doing there.

Here is the progression with the scales written over the chords.

These are the most obvious scale choices (obvious to me anyway) and other improvisational systems are certainly possible.

| C major pentatonic | C dorian |
|   Cmaj7   |    %   | Cm7 | %  |

| D mixolydian | Db major pentatonic | C major pentatonic  |
|     D7/C     |      Dbmaj7/C       |   Cmaj7   |   %    |

1.
| C major (ionian)     |
| Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 | % |

| Eb major (ionian)      |
| Fm7 | Bb7 | Ebmaj7 | % |

2.
| D dorian         |A harmonic minor | A dorian         |Eharminor|
| Dm Dm7/C | Dm6/B  E7b9             | Am Am7/G | Am6/F#  B7      |

D major  | C major            |
| Em7 A7 | Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7 | % |

Mind you, just noodling around on scales isn't necessarily music.

Find some  cool riffs built around those scales and use them instead.

7

blackyoshi -- 03/07/2005, 03:01:20 -- #11723
Hm I've like heard people talk about those scales before but I don't know what they aer exactly. Is there like a chart somewhere that has them written out? Also, where could I find some cool riffs built around those scales? Thanks.

blackyoshi -- 03/07/2005, 03:01:29 -- #11724
Hm I've like heard people talk about those scales before but I don't know what they aer exactly. Is there like a chart somewhere that has them written out? Also, where could I find some cool riffs built around those scales? Thanks.

7 -- 03/07/2005, 14:40:53 -- #11733
Major Pentatonic = Major scale minus 4 & 7

Dorian = starting at 2nd degree of Major scale

Mixolydian = starting at 5th degree of Major scale

minor = starting at 6th degree of Major scale

harmonic minor = same as minor but with a  raised 7th

7 -- 03/08/2005, 12:21:02 -- #11772
where could I find some cool riffs built around those scales?

Here's one way to find cool riffs:

Creating Melodies using "The Suggestive Method"
The natural path to melodic construction.

http://www.Jeff-Brent.com/Lessons/suggest.html

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